Saturday, April 2, 2011

Birding Miscellanea

From my patch along the Jordan River in Salt Lake: The river bends in this area and has created the steep bank shown here. As I approached this area I could hear a Belted Kingfisher's rattle, so I worked to be more stealthy in order to get a photo of this awesome bird which has continued to eluded me. Suddenly a Kingfisher bolted out of a hole in the dirt bank and second Kingfisher joined it in a raucous flight. I had discovered a Belted Kingfisher nesting burrow in my patch! I never got that Kingfisher picture, but I am excited to observe whatever I can at this nest site. It is right next to a walking/biking trail, so I am hopeful that they are accustomed to regular passers-by.

Black-billed Magpies are prolific nest engineers. They build a secure bed of twigs and even create a domed roof for protection from weather and predators. It is always worthwhile to check out every Magpie nest you see. I have seen both Great Horned Owls and Long-eared Owls using old Magpie nests, often removing most of the dome roof. Below is a Long-eared Owl I discovered nesting on a Magpie nest in my old neighborhood in the Boise foothills. I have also seen Raccoons in winter huddled up in these Magpie-built hotels.

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